'Incredible:' Another snowless record on tap for Chicago

Whether you like it or not, we will officially break another record for no snow today, according to the National Weather Service.

"It's pretty incredible," said NWS meteorologist Gino Izzi. "It's the middle of January and there's no snow on the ground. Dallas, Texas has had more snow than us."

Izzi said the last time we have gone this far into the season without a 1-inch calendar day of snowfall was Jan. 17, 1899. If we get no snow today -- and there is none in the forecast through the weekend -- it's a record.

Additionally, it's been 326 days and counting since we've had a 1-inch snow cover on the ground. That record was officially broken nine days ago, according to Izzi.

"If you think about it, we're just a little over a month away from basically going an entire year without snow in Chicago," Izzi said.

Izzi attributes the lack of snow, in part, to luck.

"Some of it has just been luck but there have been some pretty good storms that have missed us," he said.

While snowfall is not in the stars for the area, very cold temperatures are.

"We're watching a little system Sunday night that will bring a really, really intense cold snap – the coldest we've been in nearly two years," Izzi said.

Highs will "struggle" to reach the teens by Monday into Tuesday.

"We could have lows not very far from zero," Izzi said.

The Illinois Tollway will launch its Zero Weather Road Patrols this weekend to assist drivers stranded in their cars during times of extreme cold.

The tollway anticipates activating Zero Patrols overnight Saturday and into the day Monday, until the temperature and/or wind chill rises above zero, according to a tollway release.

The 24-hour service dedicates hourly patrols in search of motorists stranded in disabled vehicles or in response to calls that come in to *999 motorist assistance, Illinois Tollway dispatch or Illinois State Police District 15.